Posted
on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By
William Yaw Owusu
Thursday,
June 01 , 2017
The mortal remains of Captain Maxwell Mahama, the army officer
who was gruesomely killed in a mob action at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Upper
Denkyira West District of the Central Region, has been deposited at the 37
Military Hospital in Accra.
According to Col. Eric Aggrey-Quarshie, Director of Public Relations,
Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), the body of the late Captain arrived Tuesday evening from
the Dunkwa-on-Offin Government Hospital in the region where it was initially
kept after the assassination in a town where illegal mining (popularly called galamsey)
activities are at their peak.
The death of Captain Mahama, who was a Detachment Commander
checking galamsey operations in the area, has been widely condemned as barbaric
and President Akufo-Addo has said he would ensure that perpetrators of the
heinous crime are punished.
Some of the faces behind the
dastardly act have been identified while six people have been arrested in
connection with the barbaric murder, including the Assemblyman for the area,
William Baah.
Bawumia Consoles
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has expressed
utter shock that there are people in society who could commit such a dastardly
act as perpetrated against Capt Mahama.
With a “heavy heart,” Vice President
Bawumia was at the Arakan Officers’ Mess at Burma Camp in Accra together with
some army chiefs and government officials to console the family of the late soldier
yesterday.
Describing the demise of the soldier as “very,
very sad news,” the vice president said he could not really believe it. ”I did
not really think we have such evil people amongst us, such wickedness amongst
us as a people.
“What happened is dastardly; it’s painful;
it’s evil; it’s wickedness. Nobody can justify this act,” he said, adding that
the government had taken note of comments made by the District Chief Executive
(DCE) for Upper Denkyira West, Daniel Appianin, which many considered
unfortunate, as he sought to justify the lynching of the soldier. The vice president,
was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Defence, Maj Derek Oduro (Rtd); Deputy
Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah and other government officials who were
received by the late Captain’s father, his wife Barbara and a number of chiefs
from Bole.
Pistol Recovered
The Ghana Police Service says
it has retrieved the missing pistol of Captain Mahama.
The weapon was found yesterday.
The army rounded up the youth of the town in search of the body and the weapon
late Monday when they received news of the callous murder of the soldier.
After several hours of
searching, the firearm was found but it is not clear where exactly it was found.
The police have dispatched a special team comprising homicide squad, crime
scene management and action units to Denkyira-Obuasi to among other issues,
gather further evidence and intelligence regarding the murder of Captain
Mahama.
Ghost
Town
Details are emerging about how Denkyira-Obuase township and
its surroundings have virtually turned into a ghost town following the killing
of the army officer who was said to be jogging Monday morning before he was
accosted and lynched because the townsfolk claimed he was on an armed-robbery
operation.
The assemblyman, who allegedly mobilized the mob to attack
Captain Mahama has turned himself in while the District Chief Executive (DCE)
of Upper Denkyira West, Daniel Appianin, is under pressure for initially
creating the impression that the deceased soldier and his men were in the area
to protect Chinese galamsey operators.
Military
Promise
The Military High Command in Accra has promised never to
retaliate following the killing of one of their men but rather would ensure that
investigations are professionally conducted so that those found culpable would
be tried in the law court.
The Chief of Army Staff, Major General William Azu Ayamdo,
who visited the crime scene on Tuesday, said GAF was already in close
collaboration with other security agencies to thoroughly investigate and ensure
justice for Captain Mahama.
“I’ve lost one of my fine officers who were detailed to come
here on official duty protecting lives and properties, only to be lynched by
the same community he is supposed to be protecting. So I’m very sad that this
should happen to an officer of the Ghana Army and the Ghana Armed Forces at
large,” he said.
“The community where the incident happened has completely
been vacated, except the few who were arrested,” the army chief asserted, adding,
“Out of those we have been able to identify, two or three who may have been
directly involved in the incident, we have handed them over to the police. My
hope is that the police will work on this one very speedily so that we can get
to the bottom of this matter.
“A lot of people have the thought that we are coming to do
some reprisal attacks…. We are not going to carry out reprisal attacks. People
should feel free to go about their normal duties if they are not involved in
any of these acts. But once we require getting to the bottom of this, we
require them to give us information that will lead to the quick resolution of
the matter.
They should rest assured that we are not going to carry out
reprisal attack,” he assured.
Currently, soldiers are said to be patrolling the town while
crime scene investigators are busily fishing for leads as the security agencies
are said to be on top of the issue.
NDC
Politics
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) preferred
to politicize the unfortunate incident when it put the blame on the doorsteps
of President Akufo-Addo.
“The NDC is laying blame for this heinous and callous
lynching of Captain Mahama at the doorstep of President Akufo-Addo,” the party
said in a statement in Accra signed by its General Secretary, Johnson Aseidu
Nketia.
Tribute
Capt. Dennis Adam Mahama(rtd), father of the slain soldier who
was attached to the 5th Infantry Battalion (5BN), said he did not
accept the theory that his son was new to the route he used for jogging.
According to him, the late son had been jogging on the route
in the locality since he was stationed there and usually did it to keep his
health and body in shape.
He later described his son as his ‘personal advisor’ and
said he was an ‘ambitious and brilliant’ chap who provided regular counsel to
him (father).
The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has issued a statement
condemning the mob action saying, “The Bar finds mob actions purportedly
exercised to punish suspected or alleged offenders very unacceptable and an
affront to the rule of law under the Fourth Republican Constitution of Ghana.”
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